What I Watched In: February 2020

Almost at the other end of the winter season, staying in and watching a DVD is the perfect way to not get COVID 19. This month I decided to do the right thing and have a good time. I hope you stand by me for this run down of twenty films and don’t ghost me.

[N] – Netflix, [P] – Prime, [M] – MUBI

Rather excited by the news that Netflix were releasing over 20 Studio Ghibli films, U celebrated the first batch coming out by watching Kiki’s Delivery Service (4*) [N], a film about a young witch trying to make her way in the world. While not much happens, it’s a sweet enough film which looks great and has a nice soundtrack.

After I went shopping it was still early so I decided to put on another DVD! This time, under the booming soundtrack of Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’, I saw a pressure oven build in a boiling neighbourhood pizzeria as Spike Lee joint Do The Right Thing (4.5*) lead to an explosive conclusion. Unlike films such as Green Book, this look at racism felt multi dimensional and very real. It probably was responsible for me feeling underwhelmed by the time I watched Queen and Slim (3*) which while well put together didn’t feel very fresh due to the lack of chemistry between the leads. (Review Here)

I then watched cult classic Footloose (2*) which while fun to begin with, got boring very quickly as Kevin Bacon tried to bring dancing and fast 4G to a town without an EE signal.

Then on the Monday I managed to get to a preview of Parasite (5*). While I don’t want to call a film perfect, there is nothing I would change about this masterpiece. The only shame was that I had nobody to talk to about it with (Parasite Review).

I then went out with my aunt to watch The Personal History of David Copperfield (4*). A quirky yet charming retelling of the Dickens model, I was surprised by how much I liked this film. Dev Patel lead it fantastically and the whole cast each added their own charm. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to reviewing it as I was busy (and didn’t have too much to say other than I enjoyed it), but it probably would’ve gotten a B/B+

I then watched another cult 80s film in Ghost (3.5*) [N]. While nothing special, it certainly was enjoyable enough. A story about Swayze turning into a ghost and helping his wife survive via a fraudulent spirit speaker,it made me smile enough and had that famous scene which rejuvenated the pottery industry and the righteous brothers’ career.

The next day, I finally felt in the right mindset to watch 12 Years A Slave (4.5*) [N] [P]. I will say that you need to be in the right frame as it’s not an easy watch. This is an indicator of what a great film it is. The acting from Lupita Nyong’o and Chiewetel Ejiofor was outstanding. The hard moments were difficult to watch and hear thanks in part to the brutal sound editing. The scene 20 minutes from the end was so raw that a large part of me wanted to look away and stop watching.

The next day was the Oscars ceremony, so I braved Storm Ciara to watch Ford Vs Ferrari/Le Mans ’66 (4*) in a last gasp attempt to catch all of the Best Picture nominees (The best film won btw). FvF was nice harmless fun, similarly to Green Book. The main characters were humorous and the sound editing was great. However, the supporting cast was shocking .

As it was Oscar season, I decided to watch the Scorcese/De Niro/Pesci collaboration you’ve all seen. Boxing film Raging Bull (4*) had some great action scenes and overall was a fine watch in black and white. However, it never landed a knockout.

The next day I decided I could sit through a longer film, so out came Seven Samurai (4.5*), a sixty yeray old black and white Japanese film over 3 hours long. Yet, the characters were all funny and intriguing and it never felt too slow to often, though towards the end, my attention did start to ebb.

Good Time (4*) [N] is one of the art house films that Robert Patterson has been doing to cleanse his soul of YA films Kirsten Stewart. It reminded me a lot of Uncut Gems with its chaos and it turns out both were directed by the Safdie Brothers. While stylistically I preferred this one, the dialogue wasn’t quite as good.

After this, my aunt was in town, so we went to the cinema and saw… Parasite (5*) again! While it didn’t have the shock factor, I could appreciate some of the nuances in this best picture a bit more. Bong season it was, as my next film was The Host (4*) [M]. Another film by Bong Joon Ho saw a mutant creature steal a deadbeat dad’s daughter. Said father (played by the father in parasite) is also infected and needs to escape to save his daughter. While not up to the levels of Parasite or Snowpiercer, it’s a clever monster story with a good dynamic, although the CGI looks outdated.

The weekend saw me watch Stand By Me (5*). The British version of the Goonies based on the Stephen King book “The Body” wasn’t a horror film, but was good and raw. It was a light tale of kids going to find a dead body with dark undertones of each of their problems. However, their friendship keeps them going through before the film gives some hard hitting commentary around friendship. I’m probably being overly generous, but I thought this film was a lot better than it had any right to be.

Baden-Baden (4*) [M] was an independent Belgian film about a woman building a bathroom. While I was only really half following, it was amusing enough. Number 37 (4.5*) [M] was a South African film based on Hitchcock’s Rear Window. It was tense and engaging enough as a man in debt attempts to blackmail a gangster with disastrous results.

I sat down one evening to watch Platoon (3.5*) [N] which I feel was more era appropriate than timeless classic. The 1986 best picture is one of a saturated market of Vietnam war films and didn’t really stack up to Apocalypse Now. I just didn’t really feel the characters and the over use of Barbers Adagio For Strings for every sad scene was poor (although it may have been that film which lead to the overuse).

Rather excitingly, I had a mystery preview to go and see. I didn’t know what I was getting into until the BBFC black card came up and was suprised at the announcement of Misbehaviour (3*). The film about the Miss World protests and new wave of feminism will find an audience who will enjoy it. However, the routine format of the whole thing felt a little stale. I will write a full review closer to release.

The next day I saw a less orthodox film in Little Joe (4*). This felt quite the gem as a plant was brainwashing people in its attempts to survive. Odd lighting and music as well as some wonderful acting meant that I enjoyed it more than I didn’t (See Review).

My month ended with a pleasant surprise. I went home and had a trip to HMV who it turns out were selling DVDs of The Peanut Butter Falcon (4.5*) early. Mum was given it as an early mothers day present (She was with me in the shop and had loved the film before, so I had no other explanation for buying 2 copies). Anyhow, it’s a fun buddy up film with a down on his luck redneck helping a young man with down syndrome get to a wrestling school. The whole film is a rather feel good experience. (See Previous Review)

I also forgot, I watched Casablanca (4*). It was okay, but nowhere near as good as Brief Encounter